Pre-plumbed shower door system

ABSTRACT

A shower door system in knocked down from including: a door ( 4 ) and optionally one or more return panels ( 2, 3 ) for forming a shower enclosure, having a pre-installed shower mixer valve ( 14 ) mounted in a frame member ( 7 ) of the shower door system, a pre-installed shower rose ( 10 ) or shower rose connection fitting mounted in a frame member ( 7 ) of the shower door system and pre-installed plumbing from the mixer valve ( 9, 14 ), within a frame member ( 7 ) or members, to the shower rose ( 10 ) or shower rose connection fitting, so that when the shower door system is subsequently assembled and installed against a wall, or in a corner between two walls, to form a shower enclosure with a frame member ( 7 ) adjacent a wall, water supply plumbing to the shower ( 9, 10, 14 ) may pass from the wall directly to the frame member ( 7 ) to connect to the shower mixer valve ( 14 ).

FIELD

[0001] The invention comprises a shower door system which may be soldincorporating a mixer for the shower and a shower rose and associatedplumbing pre-installed in frame members of the shower door system.

BACKGROUND

[0002] A shower door system including a door and return or in-fillpanels on one or both sides of the door, is typically positioned againsta wall in a bathroom or washroom or similar or in a corner between twowalls, to form a shower enclosure. The complete enclosure comprises ashower base, the shower door system comprising a transparent ortranslucent glass or non-glass or opaque door and return or in-fillpanel(s), and the wall or walls of the bathroom.

[0003] Typically to install the enclosure first hot and cold water pipesare plumbed into one of the bathroom walls to a mixer valve which ismounted in the wall, and a pipe from the mixer valve up to a plumbingfitting to receive a shower rose is installed. The shower base is fittedin position and then the wall lining and then the panels and door of theshower door system are installed, and then a fascia plate and controlhandle or knob of the mixer valve and the shower rose are fitted inposition.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0004] The invention provides an improved or at least alternative formof shower door system. The shower door system is intended to be sold inknocked down form incorporating a pre-installed mixer and shower rose orshower rose connection fitting.

[0005] In broad terms in one aspect the invention comprises a showerdoor system in knocked down form including a door and optionally one ormore return panels for forming a shower enclosure, including apre-installed shower mixer valve mounted in a frame member of the showerdoor system, a pre-installed shower rose or shower rose connectionfitting mounted in a frame member of the shower door system, andpre-installed plumbing from the mixer valve, within a frame member ormembers, to the shower rose or shower rose connection fitting, so thatwhen the shower door system is subsequently assembled and installedagainst a wall or in a corner between two walls to form a showerenclosure with a frame member adjacent a wall, water supply plumbing tothe shower may pass from the wall directly to the frame member toconnect to the shower mixer valve.

[0006] Preferably the knocked down shower door system also includespre-installed plumbing from the mixer valve, within a frame member ormembers, and to the exterior of a face of a said frame member which willbe adjacent a wall when the shower door system is assembled andinstalled.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] The invention is filter illustrated by the preferred formsthereof which are shown in the accompanying drawings by way of exampleand without intending to be limiting. In the drawings:

[0008]FIG. 1 is a view of one preferred form of shower door system ofthe invention from the interior,

[0009]FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 of another preferred formshower door system of the invention,

[0010]FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2 of a further preferredform shower door system of the invention,

[0011]FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of one form of frame member formedby two extruded parts and in which a mixer valve is pre-installed,

[0012]FIG. 5 is a view of the frame member of FIG. 4 but with one sideof the frame member removed,

[0013]FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of another form of frame memberformed by two extruded parts and in which a mixer valve ispre-installed, and

[0014]FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the frame member of FIG. 6 inexploded form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORMS

[0015] The shower door system of FIG. 1 is shown on a shower base 1 andcomprises return or in-fill panels 2 and 3 and a pivoting door 4, all ofwhich are mounted within a frame 5 which is typically formed of extrudedaluminium components. The door 4 comprises a panel mounted by pivots 6so that the door may be opened outwardly of the enclosure. The door andreturn panels are typically formed from clear or translucent glass butmay be formed from a non-glass material such as polycarbonate forexample or an opaque material.

[0016] On one side the shower door system incorporates a hollow verticalmember 7 which also forms part of the frame of the shower door system.In a preferred form the hollow member 7 is formed by two verticallyextending extruded aluminium components. The hollow member 7 extendsfrom the shower base I to the top of the frame as shown, and along aninner side edge retains the vertical edge of glass panel 3. The face oredge 8 of the member 7 when the shower door system is assembled andinstalled in position will abut a wall of the bathroom in which theshower door system is installed to form a shower enclosure. The framemember 7 mounts on the interior side of the shower enclosure the controlhandle 9 or knob of a shower mixer valve, and a shower rose 10 which maybe of any type. The member 7 may also optionally mount shelves and/orflannel hoops or rails 11.

[0017]FIG. 4 shows one form of such a hollow frame member 7 in crosssection, which is formed by two longitudinally extended extrusions whichmay typically be aluminium extrusions but could alternatively be formedof a plastics material for example. One extrusion 12 forms the side ofthe hollow member 7 on the interior of the shower enclosure while theother extrusion 13 is on the exterior of the shower enclosure. The webwhich forms the side face 8 is formed on one of the extrusions as shown.The extrusions come together at the opposite edge 16 to retain thevertical edge of glass panel 3 using a conventional rubber or plasticinsert 17. Mixer valve 14 is positioned within the internal cavity ofthe frame member 7 and a pipe (not visible in FIG. 4) extends upwardlyfrom the mixer valve 14 to a shower rose such as that indicated at 10 inFIG. 1, or shower rose connection fitting into which a shower rose maybe screwed once the shower door system has been installed. An aperture15 is provided in the side face 8 through which hot and cold water pipesmay pass directly from the bathroom wall into the interior of the framemember 7 and to the mixer valve 14.

[0018] Typically to install the shower door system to form a showerenclosure first a shower base 1 is fitted in position, in the case ofthe shower door system shown in FIG. 1 in the corner between two wallsof a bathroom or similar. A wet lining or tiling or similar is installedover the bathroom walls before or after the frame and glass panels ofthe shower door system are assembled and installed (or may bepre-existing within the bathroom or washroom). During installation ofthe glass panels and door and supporting frame the extrusion 12including web 8 is secured to the wall by screwing through the web 8into the wall surface framing behind the wall lining, through holes 18(see FIGS. 4 and 5). At this stage the other half extrusion 13 of thehollow member 7 has not yet been installed, to allow access to theinterior of the hollow member 7. In relation to plumbing in the bathroomwall it is necessary to provide only hot and cold water pipes which maypass through aperture 15 in the side face 8 of the frame member 7 to becoupled to the mixer valve 14. When installation of the shower doorsystem is complete the other half extrusion 13 of the frame member 7 isfitted in place to complete the installation.

[0019] With the shower door system of the invention it is not necessaryto fit a shower mixer and rose and plumbing between the mixer and roseinto the wall of the bathroom before the wall is lined. Rather theshower mixer and rose and plumbing may be sold as part of the showerdoor system ready for installation, minimising what is subsequentlyrequired to install the shower door system on site.

[0020] Typically the shower door system will be sold in knocked downform including the hollow frame member 7 incorporating a pre-installedshower mixer and rose and associated plumbing within the cavity of theframe member 7. The associated plumbing will generally include a pipefrom the mixer valve to the shower rose or at least a shower roseconnection fitting, and may also optionally include flexible hot andcold water connection pipes from the shower mixer valve ready to beconnected directly to hot and cold water pipes in the wall, for example.The mixer valve will typically have a control handle or knob such asthat indicated at 9 in FIG. 4 fitted in place at the time of sale or theshower door system may simply be sold with the mixer valve pre-installedwith instructions to the installer to fit the control lever or knob tothe mixer valve, and optionally the shower rose, as one of the finalsteps of installation of the shower enclosure.

[0021] In the preferred forms shown the mixer is installed in a framecomponent which will lie adjacent and abut a wall when the shower doorsystem is installed but this is not essential and in an alternativearrangement the mixer valve may be installed in a frame component of theshower door system which does not lie adjacent a wall in the installedenclosure, and the plumbing will then pass from the wall into andthrough one or more hollow fame members of the shower door system to themixer valve. The shower rose or shower rose connection fitting may bemounted in the same frame member as the mixer valve or a different framemember.

[0022]FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 of the hollow member 7 of FIG.4 but with the extrusion 13 removed, being that half extrusion whichwill normally form the side of the hollow member 7 on the exterior ofthe shower enclosure. In this embodiment the vertical edge of the glasspanel 3 is fixed to the other half extrusion 12 by clips 19 which willsecurely retain the glass panel 3 in place prior to installation of theother half extrusion 13.

[0023]FIG. 2 shows another preferred form of shower door system which islargely identical to that of FIG. 1 except that the door 4 is curved asshown.

[0024]FIG. 3 shows a further form of shower door system of the inventionwhich is again very similar to that of FIG. 1 except that the showerdoor system of FIG. 3 is square in shape and comprises door 4 and returnwall 2. The door is pivoted at 6 and instead of retaining a verticaledge of panel 3 as in FIGS. 1 and 2, in the shower door system of FIG. 4the inner vertical edge 16 of the hollow frame member 7 mounts avertical seal against which the edge 4 a of the door will seal when thedoor is closed.

[0025]FIGS. 6 and 7 show in cross-section another form of frame memberfor a shower door system of the invention, in assembled form in FIG. 6and with parts exploded in FIG. 7. In FIGS. 6 and 7 in general similarreference numerals indicate similar parts as in FIGS. 4 and 5. This formof frame member is again composed of two longitudinally extendingcomponents which are typically extruded aluminium components, and whichinter-engage when assembled together to form the frame member. The twoexuded components may be designed so as to snap fit together butalternatively in the frame member structure of FIGS. 6 and 7 screwfastening components 20 spaced along the length of the extrusion passthrough one half extrusion and thread into a female threaded partretained in a web 21 forming part of the other half extrusion. Againthere are two half extrusions, one component 12 which forms the side ofthe frame member on the interior of the shower enclosure and another 13which forms the side of the frame member on the exterior of theenclosure. The extrusions come together to retain the edge of a panel 3via rubber or plastic insert 17. A face 8 of extrusion 12 will afterinstallation of the shower door system lie adjacent a wall and hot andcold pipes may extend from the wall through an aperture in the face 8and into the interior of the frame component to connect to the mixervalve 14. Alternatively in the knocked down shower door system for salehot and cold connection pipes may be pre-installed which extend from themixer valve 14 to or through an aperture in the face 8 or similar. Inthe embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7 the component 12 which forms theinterior side of the frame member is curved in shape as shown whichconveniently orients the mixer so that the control handle or knob of themixer faces into the interior of the installed shower enclosure as shownat an angle to panel 3 of the shower door system.

[0026] In the preferred forms described above the hollow frame member 7which mounts the shower mixer and rose and internal plumbing is formedby two half extrusions which fit together to form the hollow framemember but alternative constructions are possible. For example thehollow member 7 could be formed of three extruded components and it isnot necessary that the components forming the hollow member 7 be formedby extrusion or of aluminium and for example plastic or other materialsmay be used.

[0027] The foregoing describes the invention including preferred formsthereof and alterations and modifications as will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art are intended to be incorporated within the scopehereof as defined in the accompanying claims.

1. A shower door system in knocked down form including a door andoptionally one or more return panels for forming a shower enclosure,including a pre-installed shower mixer valve mounted in a frame memberof the shower door system, a pre-installed shower rose or shower roseconnection fitting mounted in a frame member of the shower door system,and pre-installed plumbing from the mixer valve, within a frame memberor members, to the shower rose or shower rose connection fitting, sothat when the shower door system is subsequently assembled and installedagainst a wall or in a corner between two walls to form a showerenclosure with a frame member adjacent a wall, water supply plumbing tothe shower may pass from the wall directly to the frame member toconnect to the shower mixer valve, said frame member which will beadjacent a wall when the shower door system is assembled and installedincluding an external face, an internal face towards the interior of theenclosure, one side face which will lie adjacent a wall when the showerdoor system is installed, and a face or edge opposite said one side faceand which is adapted to retain an edge of a glass or non-glass panel ofthe shower door system or which provides a vertical seal for a door ofthe shower.
 2. A shower door system according to claim 1 also includingpre-installed plumbing from the mixer valve, within a frame member ormembers, and to the exterior of a face of said frame member which willbe adjacent a wall when the shower door system is assembled andinstalled.
 3. A shower door system according to either one of claims 1and 2 wherein the mixer valve is mounted in said frame member which willbe adjacent a wall when the shower door system is assembled andinstalled.
 4. A shower door system according to any one of claims 1 to 3wherein the mixer valve is mounted in said frame member which will beadjacent a wall when the shower door system is assembled installed, withan orientation such that the mixer control handle or knob will face intothe interior of the shower enclosure at an angle to a panel of theshower door system which is retained by said frame member.
 5. A showerdoor system according to any one of claims 1 to 4wherein the mixer valveand the shower rose or shower rose connection fitting are both mountedin said frame member which will be adjacent a wall when the shower doorsystem is assembled and installed.
 6. A shower door system according toany one of claims 1 to 5wherein the or each frame member(s) in which thepre-installed mixer valve and shower rose or shower rose connectionfitting are mounted comprise two longitudinally extending inter-engagingparts which are assembled together to form the frame member.
 7. A showerdoor system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 which when assembledand installed provides a door or a wall including a door, and a returnwall which extends at an angle to the door or wall including a door. 8.A shower door system according to any one of claims 1 to 6 which whenassembled and installed provides a door and return walls on either sideof the door.
 9. A shower door system ready for sale and installation, inassembled or knocked down form, including a hollow member at one sidefor mounting a mixer for the shower and a shower rose and so positionedthat when the assembled shower door system is installed against a wallor in a corner between two walls, the hollow member will be adjacent awall so that water supply plumbing to the shower may pass from the walldirectly into the interior of the hollow member to connect to the showermixer, the said hollow member also being a frame member of the showerdoor system and extending generally vertically for the full height ofthe shower door system and comprising an external face, an internal facewithin the interior of the enclosure, and a side face which will lieadjacent a wall when the shower door system is installed, and a face oredge opposite the side face which retains an edge of a glass panel ofthe shower door system or provides a vertical seal for a door of theshower.
 10. A shower door system according to claim 9 incorporating apre-installed mixer valve and shower rose or shower rose connectionfitting and associated plumbing pre-installed in said hollow framemember.
 12. A shower door system according to claim 11 incorporating apre-installed mixer valve and shower rose or shower rose connectionfitting and associated plumbing pre-installed in said hollow framemember.